Entamoeba histolytica DNA Detection in Serum from Patients with Suspected Amoebic Liver Abscess

Abstract

Amoebic liver abscess (ALA) is regularly seen in travelers or immigrants from tropical countries. The diagnosis relies on liver imaging that is not specific and on the detection of anti- Entamoeba histolytica antibodies, which cannot distinguish an acute from a former infection. We tested whether E. histolytica DNA detection in serum can improve the diagnosis of ALA. We retrospectively tested available serum samples taken from patients with ALA and non-ALA space-occupying lesions of the liver between 1 January 2010 and 30 November 2019.